Is there Really Such a Thing as the Ideal Pet Tracker?

In order to answer this question, we need to look at what sort of things a pet tracker would have to be able to do, in order to be classed as ideal.

1) General Ability to Locate Your Pet

Fairly obvious, but definitely the fundamental purpose for any usable pet tracking device.

There are a few different methods of achieving this aim – from the very low tech collar with a bell, which enables you to hear where your cat is when it’s moving, to the much higher tech software-enabled GPS locating system that links in with your laptop or smartphone. Then there is the radio frequency technology that uses a transmission from a tag to a handset to indicate distance as well as direction

2) Location Accuracy

Locating your pet is all very well but you need to make sure there is a high level of accuracy involved in the process. It’s not that useful to know that your furry friend is “somewhere over there”, when really you want to be able to have a more precise fix on where they might have got to.

GPS trackers are often suggested to be extremely accurate, but this isn’t always the case. Anyone who’s tried to locate a destination using their mobile phone, for instance, may well find themselves appearing to be in an entirely different town or city from the one they thought they were in, if they simply believe what the location tracker on their device tells them!

Another issue with GPS trackers is that they work best for tracking a “moving target” which isn’t always the case for your missing animal.

3) Designed to Fit on Your Pet’s Collar

We are some years away from a sci-fi style world where you can implant a microchip under your pet’s skin that acts like a homing beacon, continually projecting your cat’s location for you to easily identify where it is. Similarly, we are nowhere near being able to use a chip to understand a cat’s vitals, behaviour and emotions so we know where they have wondered based on how they were feeling that day. So any tracking device you’ll be contemplating for your pet will need to be able to fit on their collar.

Larger animals, such as dogs, may be able to get away with a big, heavy tracker tag attached to their collar – as they are stronger and may not suffer as much irritation as a result. Smaller animals require a lighter tag to fit on their collars – it is recommended that this is under 10 grams. Plus, as animal lovers ourselves, we’re always keen to minimise any potential problems our pets may face, so having a smaller item attached to the collar is definitely something to aim for. This is therefore very important in deciding what the best pet tracker really is.

4) Long Lasting

There’s no point putting your trust in a pet tracking device that runs out of juice every few hours. This is because pets can wander off and the owner may not know they are even missing at first and then it may take a while to find them. So ensuring the battery life is sustainable is very important. GPS for example, can barely last a day and maybe even much less depending on usage whereas other devices can last weeks, months or even years before needing to be replaced or recharged.

5) Cost Effective

There’s no point developing the ideal pet tracker if it ends up costing thousands of pounds to anyone who wants to make use of it. Everyone has a slightly different amount of money they would want to spend on their pet but any device under £100 is probably in the right ball park for being an ideal pet tracker. However, if the pet tracker was less than say £30 there is a chance it may not work properly as parts would be cheap and it may not have any longevity.

Summary – The Ideal Pet Tracker

Based on the criteria outlined above, we think there is such a thing as the ideal pet tracker that exists in the market today – can you guess what it is? OK, you may not be surprised to hear that the Tabcat pet tracker is your answer, but actually we went about creating the Tabcat the other way round. That is, we identified the criteria that would make up the best pet tracker and then we went ahead and developed it.